Custom pcs vs Prebuilt Branded pcs for those who don't know

[3hunna]

I want yall to say where I am right in these points & correct me where I am wrong

Now put Alienware , XPS or Envy aside & compare normal Branded pcs with Custom ones

Only a noob would refer to a Custom pc as ''Non/Un Branded '' they fail to realize that the parts are Branded

I personally like Custom pcs as they're upgrade able & you can build them how ever you want to

People say Custom pcs can have incompatibility issues how ever I never ran into one

Now the only benefit of having a Branded pre-built computer such as Dell , Hp , Lenvno etc is that all of their faults have been fixed , they're tested & are a bit faster due to they use parts of the same brand unlike Custom pcs

Now I'll state the disadvantages of a Branded pc

1-They're only upgrade able to a certain extent
2- You cannot change their casing or motherboard to a different brand
3-You cannot add high end graphic cards to them ( due to lack of space)
4-You cannot add big fans or Liquid coolers to them ( due to they don't have mounts for them although you can DIY through a drilling machine but not everybody knows how to use that)
5-Their power supplies have small fan , low wattage , aren't modular & don't have 80+ ratings on them & they don't come with external PCI-E connectors such as 6 pin or 6+2pin which are needed for mid range or high end graphic cards ( I know you can get molex or sata to 6pin adapters but I don't recommend using them on a power supplies which don't even came with one 6 pin connector
6- Their motherboards be m-atx (which are low end)
7- You cannot add a gaming power supply more than 550watts to them & if you do add a gaming power supply to them & they're mounted on the top of casing so it's fan will be at the bottom so it will throw hot air on the components where as in my Custom pc the psu is mounted at the bottom with it's fan facing down so it will throw hot air outside of the case & my case has a dust fliter to prevent dust
8- They come with the OEM version of Windows ( which doesn't get any support from Microsoft & it's stuck to the motherboard )
9-They come with use less software's pre-installed / bloatware such as Norton & Mcaffee ( they suck , they slow down the pc & they're the worst )
10-They're expensive & they cost twice or thrice than Custom pcs & you build a Custom pc way cheaper with better specs

 

[fudgecakes99]

Well no. A lot of that is wrong.
Really theirs nothing, that different between a custom pc and a prebuilt. One. Honestly it just comes down to nomenclature the anything.

1. No they can upgraded to the extent of the size of the case and the space that is allowed. I had an old pre built gateway that i shoved a 7950 into it and a 980 ti. It was pretty rinky dink to my current set up.

2. Unless you have a physical ailment, you can swap out the motherboard or casing. You'd just have to switch the cpu as well if it's motherboard. You can pull out the wiring in most pre built rigs. If you're so inclined unless some led's are hot glued to the case or rivited in. Even if it's rivited you can get around it with some elbow grease. Which is why i said nomenclature. At that point is it still technically a pre-built pc? because you bought it pre-built at what point does it become a custom-pc. Is their a limit to how many prebuilt to custom parts before it's declared differently?

3. Yes, you can. Again depends on clearance but yeah if it fit's no reason why it shouldn't work.

4. Well you just said yourself you can so yes, you can. Some prebuilt pc's come with radiator mounting brackets. Depends on if you get it prebuilt from a site that ships it with a rad. At which case i'd question if it's prebuilt or custom. If a site offers you the ability to choose custom parts then builds it to your specification? Is it still a prebuilt or custom rig at that point? Again nomenclature. Also you can add fans if you their's clearance.

5. Again it depends on the power supply, saying every custom pc comes with x generic psu. Is a pretty big assumption.

6.Low-end high-end is subjective/relative. For instance, "high-end" m-atx mobo's may not offer 4 way sli as a larger e-atx mobo. But at the same time an e-atx mobo is massive, and not fit for a small build. Again a bit relative. Also some pre built cases come with atx boards. Not all of them have specific generic x- brand mobo. I will say they probably would look for a cheaper end part to save on mass production costs. For obvious reasons.

7. Also false put an 850 watt psu in a prebuilt pc. With the 980ti. My temps were higher then my current cases, but relative to the temps of the 500 watt psu it had before didn't change much. That said, it also depends where pre built cases mount their psu's. And the psu itself.

8. That is true. For the most part. Again it depends on your definition of "pre-built" as you can get it custom made from a site and have a legitimate copy of windows. And if you ask a company the company for the product key for your prebuilt pc, and it's under warranty you could probably move the activation key.

9. Yes, they do. but you can also delete bloat ware so meh. But true. For the most part again definition of prebuilt is subjective.

10. No, actually that's a lie sadly. For the most part if you find x pc with with low end specs as thats what companies shoot for the easiest mass produce able product. So if you're trying to build a custom low end pc. You're actually more times then not better off buying it pre built as those parts individually cost you more then buying a pre built pc. As they mass produce the package as a whole. So they usually get the parts for cheap.

Conclusion.
It depends, if you're going to build a "real" again subjective custom p.c. Then the only way to have any price v performance to a pre built p.c. is if you are going to spend it on some relatively higher end parts. Anything above what most prebuilt p.c.'s cost. If you're look at it as a percentage it's most likely not worth it to build a custom p.c. honestly. Unless you plan on spending a bit of cash. If not you're sadly better off getting a cheaper pre built p.c. because the individual parts of the same spec would cost a lot more.

 

[mbarnes86]

Hi

The only thing I disagree with is the price difference between custom built and OEM from big brands
unless you work for as PC Parts wholesaler and can buy at same price as customers buying in 100 or 1000 piece lots you will pay much more for the parts than the likes of Dell, HP or even the smaller manufacturers

Upgrading OEM PC's is often difficult due to non standard features.
(eg CPU heat sink mountings, cables to front panel leds & front usb ports etc)

Usually you can add or replace existing RAM, add one extra hard disk (or SSD) and one medium spec Graphics card with a 6pin pci-e power cable .

One advantage of Branded PC's is you know that they will work and power up the first time you switch them on
(except for low percent damaged in transit)

This site regularly receive calls for help from those whose newly built PC does not boot up and they do not know if it is because they have made a mistake in assembly or have a DOA components.
And do not have known good replacement parts to help with their diagnosis of the problem.


regards
Mike Barnes

 

[fudgecakes99]

Hi

The only thing I disagree with is the price difference between custom built and OEM from big brands
unless you work for as PC Parts wholesaler and can buy at same price as customers buying in 100 or 1000 piece lots you will pay much more for the parts than the likes of Dell, HP or even the smaller manufacturers

Upgrading OEM PC's is often difficult due to non standard features.
(eg CPU heat sink mountings, cables to front panel leds & front usb ports etc)

Usually you can add or replace existing RAM, add one extra hard disk (or SSD) and one medium spec Graphics card with a 6pin pci-e power cable .

One advantage of Branded PC's is you know that they will work and power up the first time you switch them on
(except for low percent damaged in transit)

This site regularly receive calls for help from those whose newly built PC does not boot up and they do not know if it is because they have made a mistake in assembly or have a DOA components.
And do not have known good replacement parts to help with their diagnosis of the problem.


regards
Mike Barnes

Also once you start getting drawn into a p.c. building hobby. You can pretty much say goodbye to whatever warranty you're pre built p.c. came with. Companies don't like it when you start swapping o.e.m. parts.

 

[3hunna]

Hi

The only thing I disagree with is the price difference between custom built and OEM from big brands
unless you work for as PC Parts wholesaler and can buy at same price as customers buying in 100 or 1000 piece lots you will pay much more for the parts than the likes of Dell, HP or even the smaller manufacturers

Upgrading OEM PC's is often difficult due to non standard features.
(eg CPU heat sink mountings, cables to front panel leds & front usb ports etc)

Usually you can add or replace existing RAM, add one extra hard disk (or SSD) and one medium spec Graphics card with a 6pin pci-e power cable .

One advantage of Branded PC's is you know that they will work and power up the first time you switch them on
(except for low percent damaged in transit)

This site regularly receive calls for help from those whose newly built PC does not boot up and they do not know if it is because they have made a mistake in assembly or have a DOA components.
And do not have known good replacement parts to help with their diagnosis of the problem.


regards
Mike Barnes

Also once you start getting drawn into a p.c. building hobby. You can pretty much say goodbye to whatever warranty you're pre built p.c. came with. Companies don't like it when you start swapping o.e.m. parts.

Well some people don't care about warranties like I've seen people replace their power supply fan them self instead of RMA cause it would take a month & they'll be without a pc for a month unless they've backup power supply & I've another question when a Branded pc has a fault & it's in warranty & you RMA it would you need to send the whole pc ? or just the certain part that's having the fault??? I am asking cause I never had a New Branded pc & the last Branded pc I had was a Dell Pentium 4 I hated it & my first Custom pc was a standard Core2Duo ( never regretted switching to Custom pcs & never looked back) I upgraded it part by part & turned it into a Custom gaming pc & later upgraded the processor to Core2Quad & Now I've a Custom gaming 4th gen Corei5 pc

 

[fudgecakes99]

Hi

The only thing I disagree with is the price difference between custom built and OEM from big brands
unless you work for as PC Parts wholesaler and can buy at same price as customers buying in 100 or 1000 piece lots you will pay much more for the parts than the likes of Dell, HP or even the smaller manufacturers

Upgrading OEM PC's is often difficult due to non standard features.
(eg CPU heat sink mountings, cables to front panel leds & front usb ports etc)

Usually you can add or replace existing RAM, add one extra hard disk (or SSD) and one medium spec Graphics card with a 6pin pci-e power cable .

One advantage of Branded PC's is you know that they will work and power up the first time you switch them on
(except for low percent damaged in transit)

This site regularly receive calls for help from those whose newly built PC does not boot up and they do not know if it is because they have made a mistake in assembly or have a DOA components.
And do not have known good replacement parts to help with their diagnosis of the problem.


regards
Mike Barnes

Also once you start getting drawn into a p.c. building hobby. You can pretty much say goodbye to whatever warranty you're pre built p.c. came with. Companies don't like it when you start swapping o.e.m. parts.

Well some people don't care about warranties like I've seen people replace their power supply fan them self instead of RMA cause it would take a month & they'll be without a pc for a month unless they've backup power supply & I've another question when a Branded pc has a fault & it's in warranty & you RMA it would you need to send the whole pc ? or just the certain part that's having the fault??? I am asking cause I never had a New Branded pc & the last Branded pc I had was a Dell Pentium 4 I hated it & my first Custom pc was a standard Core2Duo ( never regretted switching to Custom pcs & never looked back) I upgraded it part by part & turned it into a Custom gaming pc & later upgraded the processor to Core2Quad & Now I've a Custom gaming 4th gen Corei5 pc

No individual parts, i remember when i had my first gateway p.c. when they had those dumb black and white cow commercials as a kid. I had to troubleshoot my hdd. They pretty much walked me through taking out the hdd, and shipping that part to them. So i don't know if it depends on the manufacturer but i wanna say if they narrow it down via customer support or if you can narrow it down you should be able to send the individual part.

 

[3hunna]

I've another question in mind people say Branded pcs are a bit faster due to they use the parts of the same Brand but I had a Hp Technician as a friend on fb who was A + certified he told me that the motherboards in Hp computers are made by MSI & we just put the Hp logo on them so that must mean the parts in Branded pcs have different manufactures too & the Brands like Dell , Hp , Ibm etc just put their own Logos on them except for the processors as we all know they're either made by Intel or Amd

 

[mbarnes86]

Hp & DELL have motherboards made by various companies
They change the bios & dmi to embed the windows oem information
Not just the label is changed

Changing a bios for the same mother board from different brands can break windows activation of oem versions of windows

This also applies to laptops which come from the same production line with different brands and model numbers for apparently the same product

Regards
Mike Barnes

 

[fudgecakes99]

I've another question in mind people say Branded pcs are a bit faster due to they use the parts of the same Brand but I had a Hp Technician as a friend on fb who was A + certified he told me that the motherboards in Hp computers are made by MSI & we just put the Hp logo on them so that must mean the parts in Branded pcs have different manufactures too & the Brands like Dell , Hp , Ibm etc just put their own Logos on them except for the processors as we all know they're either made by Intel or Amd

Yes, all parts are actually made by other "branded" manufacturers. I mean their was a time not to long ago when intel themselves made motherboards, and that was the default pre built mo.

But what you have to remember is more times then not it's slightly modified. Say you bought x hp pc and it's using an msi board. Well it would be almost identical to the msi x. Except it wouldn't have the ability to overclock or maybe they took out an extra pcie slot and disabled crossfire/sli.

Prebuilt makers want to give you the most barebone essentials they can to save on costs. But at the same time make it a viable solution over building it yourself. They don't want someone to go into the bios and start messing with clock speeds because then that falls on the manufacturer to fix it for them. Less features ergo less things to go wrong. Granted not every prebuilt manufacturer does this, it's just any brick and mortar store you go to i can almost guarantee any of those prebuilt p.c.'s will not have o.c. capabilities.